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New York's Adirondack campgrounds reflect the area's conflict between campers who expect a resort experience in the mountains and those who want a rustic getaway by a mountain stream. Developed campgrounds offer swimming pools, miniature golf and planned activities, while remote mountain sites provide a cleared spot for a tent, unobstructed views of the stars and the call of the loon.

Affiliated Campgrounds

Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain KOA (koacampground.com) in Wilmington encompasses 70 acres at the base of Whiteface Mountain and one-half mile of Ausable River waterfront. RV sites have full or partial hookups including cable television and Wi-Fi; electric and rustic tent sites have picnic tables and fire rings. Campground amenities include a seasonal swimming pool, miniature golf course and snack bar. Family-friendly Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort (adirondackjellystone.com), just off Interstate 87 in North Hudson, has sites along the Schroon River with water and electric hookups, as well as premium and deluxe sites away from the river.

Big Rigs Welcome

Old Forge Camping Resort (oldforgecamping.com) has large RV sites with full or partial hookups. The campground, spread over 130 acres, has 400 campsites and seven modern bathhouses. The village of Old Forge has a small ski mountain and is home to the Enchanted Forest Water Safari (watersafari.com), the largest water park in the state. Old Forge Camping Resort provides shuttle service to the water park. The North Branch of the Great Chazy River runs through Blue Haven Family Campground (momot.com). Big rig sites in the campground in the far northern Adirondacks just 10 miles from the Canadian border have full and partial hookups. Both campgrounds accommodate RVs longer than 40 feet.

Pet-Friendly

Rustic Barn Campground (rusticbarncampground.com) borders the Adirondack Park in Corinth a few miles from Lake George and Saratoga Springs. The campground offers fishing in a stocked pond, hiking and mountain biking. Two leashed dogs are allowed at each tent or RV site, with some restrictions on breeds. Warrensburg Travel Park (warrensburgtravelpark.com) welcomes friendly, quiet pets. The campground on the Schroon River west of Lake George has shady full hookup sites and riverside tent sites. Amenities include a heated swimming pool, playground, camp store and boat launch. Canoes, kayaks and tubes are available for rent.

Primitive

New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation (dec.ny.gov) operates more than 40 campgrounds in the Adirondack Park with varying degrees of development. Island campsites at Saranac Lake Islands, reachable only by boat, have picnic tables and fire rings. Remote Taylor Pond outside Ausable Forks offers a primitive camping loop for RVs up to 30 feet in length, tent sites and five boat access sites surrounded by 8,000 acres of Wild Forest. The campground offers no hookups or modern bathhouses, but there are water spigots and pit toilets. Forked Lake has large, treed campsites reachable by boat or trail. The DEC operates a launch on the lake and offers boat rentals.

About the Author

Meg Jernigan has been writing for more than 30 years. She specializes in travel, cooking and interior decorating. Her offline credits include copy editing full-length books and creating marketing copy for nonprofit organizations. Jernigan attended George Washington University, majoring in speech and drama.

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